This website presents some articles related to the Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga meditation as offered by the organization SRCM (Shri Ram Chandra Mission) with Shri. Kamlesh D. Patel as its current President.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

A Bridge to the Heart - By Marie Teresa McDaid

A
Bridge to the Heart

Marie Teresa McDaid

A bridge provides connection and passage
from one point to another, and spans over obstacles that are difficult to pass.
In my hometown, we have a
beautiful Peace Bridge that spans from the east to the west bank. The purpose
of this bridge was to connect and improve relations between two communities of different
religious backgrounds after many years of conflict. When it was completed, some
people found it difficult to face the reality of change around amnesty. They
found it hard to adapt to a new way of being after unchanged thinking for
generations. However, as more people took a leap of faith and crossed the
bridge, they gave hope and confidence for others to follow, which brought movement
towards change, unity and peace.

“What is being worked out in one sphere is
repeated in millions of spheres.

What you see with the planets, the same
will it be with this earth, with men, and with all.”

– Swami
Vivekananda, The Yoga Sutrasof Patanjali

Sometimes it takes years of living with discontentment
before we find something that can help us move forward and live a more balanced
existence. In the fast pace of life today, we have become more absorbed in the material
world; distracted in many ways, we hope these things will bring us ultimate
happiness. The mind dominates our lives and gradually we drift and lose connection
with our inner heart, where our Beloved resides. Our thoughts, words and
actions become detrimental to ourselves and everything around us, their effects
lingering and accumulating around the subtle heart, polluting its beauty. The
weight of these burdens eventually overwhelms the system as we struggle from day
to day with inner torments. After years of wandering around these empty places,
we become weary travelers who sit at the door of our heart seeking refuge
within. As we peer into the inner caverns, we plead for help. To get over this
impasse, we may need to take a leap of faith, with the support and guidance of
something we trust.

I was at this stage that I found that ‘something’,
which was Heartfulness. Heartfulness helps me bridge the gap from the door of
my heart to its inviting inner chambers, where the Beloved awaits to welcome me
home. It walks with and sometimes carries me safely across the bridge, unconditionally
accepting and loving me as one of His creation. The practice cleanses and
purifies those aspects of me I have become entangled in, gently releasing the
knots of inner struggle and fine tuning my system like a musical instrument. It
helps me transform the obstacles I have created, as well as the other aspects
of my existence. I feel my entire system is synchronizing with the wider world
and universe beyond the façade of the material one.

Most beautifully, it has reconnected me to
those forgotten places within my heart that teach me something new every day. As
the transmission of pure, unconditional love nourishes our hearts, a natural
state of love starts to manifest within and without. We build and extend our
bridge towards the inner heart using our will and the practice; bound by love, together
we work towards the goal of our inner transformation and to reach the shores of
our divine home. This is a daily work in progress that requires interest and
regularity, for the rewards are great. There are many more crossings to make before
we get to the destination. As we are all moving toward the same place, may we
build and share bridges of love from heart to heart amongst ourselves and in
our communities, worldwide.